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Cuomo starts ‘Wear a Mask!’ ad contest, credits daughter

FILE PHOTO: New York Governor Andrew Cuomo holds daily briefing at State Capitol during outbreak of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in Albany
FILE PHOTO: New York Governor Andrew Cuomo unveils a mural made up of hundreds of protective face masks sent to New York State from people all across the United States during the outbreak of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) at the State Capitol in Albany, New York, U.S., April 29, 2020. (REUTERS/Mike Segar/File Photo)

BY RICHARD CHANG

What does a New York governor do when not everyone heeds his advice to wear a mask during the coronavirus pandemic?

He heeds his daughter’s advice to launch an ad campaign.

Governor Andrew Cuomo, wondering why 1% of New Yorkers’ faces are uncovered in public, embraced 25-year-old daughter Mariah’s idea for a 30-second ad to offset his “faulty” communication skills, he joked to reporters on Tuesday.

“I’m not always a good communicator … I admit it. I’m trying to get better. …I’m a work in progress,” Cuomo said at a briefing in the state capital of Albany, seated a safe social distance near his daughter.

Any resident in the Empire State can enter a video in the “Wear a Mask!” contest. The winner’s name will be displayed at the bottom and win acclaim, Cuomo said.

Mariah will be rewarded as pro bono adviser in the contest, but not all entrants have an equal chance of winning, Cuomo said.

“The boyfriend can enter. The boyfriend will not win … because I am still the governor.”